I Will Wait Forever
by AlyRain
Summary: The sequel to Always There For You. This story follows our hereoine, Rain, as she tries to reestablish herself in a city away from her Gundam Piloting family and friends.


Disclaimer: I do not own the series Gundam Wing, or anything pertaining to the series.

"I Will Wait Forever"

By AlyRain

-Chapter One-

June 5th, A.C. 217:

Rain looked up at the concrete apartment building looming before her. The building was not very old, perhaps thirty years or so. According to the landlady, who had given Rain the key, the building had been built only a few years prior to the Eve Wars of A.C. 195 and 196 had ended. The landlady had not been positive on the exact dates, as she had inherited the property from her brother when he retired and left Earth for the L1 Colony.

It had only been three short days since Rain's last encounter with Shelly. Three short days that felt like an eternity to the Yuy teen. After she had stopped running, somewhere on the outskirts of town, Rain had made the wise decision of seeking medical attention. A collect call to the Preventors HQ secured her a ride to the building without too many questions asked. The doctor working during the graveyard shift determined that Rain had two broken ribs and some bruising around her windpipe, but would recover with time and rest. After handing her a bottle of top-quality painkillers, the doctor had left Rain to relax while he contacted her family.

Rest was the last thing Rain did, however. Instead, she ran again. With the skills she had learned from her father, Rain easily escaped LA and was able to create a new identity for herself. Of course, she had stolen a rather large sum of money from her parents' savings account in order to do so, but Rain promised herself she would pay them back one day.

With the money from her parents, and using a few Preventors connections, Rain had a new identity, a new residence, and a new life. She had taken a shuttle to the military town of Bremerton, Washington, a mere two states away from her home. Given her partially Asian heritage and her family's military background, Rain fit in rather well in the Northwestern city.

Rain had originally heard about the city from her friend, Alisa, back in junior high. Alisa, whose father had once been in the ESUN Military Corps, had been born in that same, moderately-sized city. Alisa had traveled back and forth each summer to stay with her father after her parents had divorced. She and her mother moved to California, but Alisa continued to keep a summer residence in Bremerton until her father finally moved to San Francisco to be closer to his daughter. Rain had heard many stories about Bremerton that made Los Angeles seem so much larger and wilder.

Although Alisa had lived there for a long time, Rain knew that her former friend never returned. After her father had moved, he had decided that California was a much better place for them. It was "sunnier and friendlier" as he Alisa had once said. The Yuy teen was certain that she would be safe from recognition in Bremerton.

The previous day, when Rain had first arrived in the city, she had immediately set out to find a place to stay. Her false ID stated that she was an emancipated sixteen year old. However, not very many landlords were happy about housing minors, emancipated or not.

Ms. Chao, the half-Chinese lady who owned Cedar Hills Apartments, however, held a lot more benevolence in her heart. It had only taken a short interview where Rain related her false background. As far as anyone in the town was concerned, Rain, or Ayumi Ooue as she called herself, had lost her parents in a tragic shuttle accident and she had applied for emancipation rather than deal with the stresses of adoption.

Without any argument, Ms. Chao had handed Rain the leasing forms and assured her that she would always be available if Rain needed any help. Rain was very grateful for the maternal guidance Ms. Chao offered. A minuscule portion of the teen's story had been valid; she had never really lived on her own. Appreciative or not, Rain still hoped that she would thrive without too much aid from her landlady. The less attention she brought to herself, the safer she would be.

Setting her shoulders determinedly, Rain started off towards the apartment complex's main drive. Apartment secured, Rain needed to paruse the town and locate a furniture store that would deliver and find a phone. Back in LA Rain had had a Satellite phone her parents had given her for her birthday. The teen had decided she needed a permanent phone for emergencies as well any future employment. Her prospective employers would be unable to contact her without a working phone.

-xx-

June 10th, A.C. 217:

Rain had spent several days searching for a job after she had fully prepared her apartment. It seemed, at first, that Rain would never locate a business willing to hire a sixteen year old without previous employment. But, as fate would have it, the small bookstore next the furniture shop where she had purchased her bed, half a mile away from her apartment had had a "NOW HIRING" sign in the front window. On her way to the grocery store across the street, the Yuy girl entered the bookstore in the neighboring building, intending to acquire an application.

The inside of the bookstore was fairly modern and comfortable. It was a decent-sized shop, with both new and classic titles furnishing the oak-colored, wooden display tables and shelves. A plump, middle-aged man with short, graying brown hair sat on a stool behind the front counter. The man was engrossed in a hardcover novel with a title Rain did not recognize. The clerk was so deep into his reading he had not noticed Rain's entrance into the store. With a start, the man set the book down and lifted his small reading glasses so that they perched atop his forehead.

"May I help you, Madam?" The man asked politely, a slightly southern accent in his words.

"Yes. I came to inquire about the position advertised in the window." Rain said, gesturing behind herself at the small red and white sign.

"Ah, yes. Well, you will need to fill out an application." The man said, pushing his stool back and sliding off of it to look for something underneath the counter. Rain noticed then how short the man was. At estimation, Rain calculated that he was only about one hundred and sixty-seven centimeters in height (aprox. 5'5" US); not far from her own one-hundred and sixty-four centimeters (5'4'').

"Here you are." The man said, laying a double-sided sheet on the counter along with a pen. "Would you like to fill it out here or take it with you?"

"I can fill out here." Rain replied.

"Very well. My name is Mr. Littleton. Just let me know when you finish." The man said, getting back onto his stool and picking up his book, 'Both Sides of War' by Michael Gable. Rain recognized the man's name. Supposedly, her uncle Milliardo had been credited as a resource on the Pacifist portion of the novel, written two years prior.

"All right." Rain replied, pulling the paper towards herself and carefully filling in the boxes with her loopy penmanship. Glancing up at the man who was, once again, engrossed in his book, Rain wondered how much business the store received in order for one man to sit around all day reading.

The Yuy teen looked back down at her application, remembering that it was still rather early in the morning. Students were still in class and adults would be at work. Rain had forgotten that the school term would not end for another week.

"Sir? Mr. Littleton?" Rain called gently, setting down the pen and turning the application around to face the man on the stool.

"Finished?" He asked, putting his book down again and picking up her application. He pushed his reading glasses up from where they had slipped down his nose and scrutinized Rain's application.

"So, Ms. Ooue is it?" The man, Mr. Littleton asked.

"Yes." Rain said, happy that the man had properly pronounced her false last name.

"You have no previous work experience, but you took library science in school…and you are a minor?" Mr. Littleton inquired, quirking an eyebrow dubiously.

"Yes I worked as an assistant librarian and I am only 16, but I am not technically a minor." Rain replied, thankful that Chelsea had talked her into switching her schedule to library science for first block the previous semester.

"Oh? Pray continue." Mr. Littleton said, leaning against the counter and putting his weight on one arm with an expression of interest crossing his face.

"I am emancipated." Rain explained.

"I see." Mr. Littleton replied. "Did you finish school?"

"Yes, I am from another county and we got out last week." Rain lied.

"Hmm." Mr. Littleton scanned through her application again. "So working here obviously would not interfere with your school work..."

"Correct." Rain said.

"And you are available for any time frame…?"

"Yes."

"You are fluent in Japanese and English and are studying several others…? How many languages are you learning?" Mr. Littleton raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"About seven I think. My mother and uncle were politicians." Rain answered honestly.

"Hmm." Mr. Littleton said again, drumming his fingers on the countertop while he stared off in thought.

"How soon could you start?"

"Tomorrow." Rain replied.

"Well, Ms. Ooue. If it is all right with you, I would like you back here at eight am tomorrow morning."

"Honto!? Really!?" Rain asked, slipping into Japanese in her surprise.

"Yes. You seem highly qualified. Though you have not had previous employment experience, you will need to undergo slight training with the register and what-not. But, I am sure Ms. Britt can assist you. As I am certain she would appreciate another employee. There were three of us, but Mr. Bonner recently quit in order to continue his academic pursuit in Seattle." Mr, Littleton explained.

Rain simply nodded, she was still shocked that she had been offered a job on the spot. "In any event, would you like the job Ms. Ooue?"

"Yes, of course." Rain replied.

"Great. I will see you in the morning then." Mr. Littleton said, reaching towards her to shake her hand and seal the deal.

"Sounds wonderful." Rain shook his hand firmly, smiling at how well things were progressing for her.

-xx-

The following morning, Rain knocked on the glass door to Green Mountain Books. An eighteen year old girl with dark brown hair and hazel eyes appeared behind the glass and smiled amiably at Rain as she unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Good morning. I'm Casey Britt." The girl introduced herself, locking the door behind Rain. According to the sign on the front the store would not open for another hour.

"Ayumi Ooue." Rain replied, smiling back.

"Ayumi? That's a cool name. Mine is so boringly English." Casey said, rolling her eyes and smiling. "Is Ayumi Japanese?"

"Yeah." Rain replied, shifting her weight uncomfortably. She was nervous as hell to start her first job; name origins seemed rather trivial.

"Thought so. I took Japanese for two years at Oly." Casey said, suddenly looking a bit shy.

"Oly?" Rain asked.

"Olympic High…?" Casey prompted.

"Sorry…I'm new to this town." Rain said, shaking her head.

"Oh. I see."

"But, if you want to practice Japanese. I would be happy to help." Rain said, reading the unspoken question in Casey's eyes.

"Really? That would be awesome. My friend Kento is half Japanese, but he usually talks to me in English." Casey said, disappointment obvious in her tone.

"Ah." Rain felt unsure what more to say.

"Britt! Get in here! And bring Ms. Ooue too. Mr. Littleton's voice carried from a door behind the front counter.

"Coming!" Casey called back, walking behind the counter with Rain in tow. "You'll notice he never uses first names." Casey shrugged.

Upon entering the office, Mr. Littleton looked up from the clipboard he was using to check off inventory that had been shipped in that morning.

"Good morning Ms. Ooue. Did Britt properly introduce herself?" Mr. Littleton inquired.

"Yes." Rain answered.

"Good. I just wanted to run a few things by you before Britt starts your training." Mr. Littleton began.

"OK." Rain said attentively.

"First off, as you may notice, I am rather lenient about the dress code," Mr. Littleton gestured to the jeans he and Casey were both wearing. "You may wear jeans, cargo pants, whatever you like. I just want attire to be moderately conservative."

"All right." Rain nodded.

"What else do you need to know…?" Mr. Littleton said, running a hand along the back of his head and glancing at Casey for help. Casey shrugged.

"Hmm…Payday is on Friday. Re-stocking days are usually on Thursdays-every other Thursday if sales are low. I don't care if you read on the job as long as the store is organized. If fact, I would prefer you read, then you will have more knowledge of the merchandise to answer the customers' questions." Mr. Littleton explained. "You can get up to three free books per week…"

Rain raised her eyebrows in interest. Free books and reading on the clock? She was fairly certain she would enjoy her job.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Mr. Littleton asked.

Rain shook her head.

"Good. Britt will give you the tour and show you how to run the register while I finish checking this invoice. We should be opening in about twenty more minutes." Mr. Littleton said.

"Thank you." Rain gave a light bow before following Casey back out into the main shop.

The pair of girls were seated on stools behind the front counter. Rain glanced through the stockroom at Mr. Littleton's closed office door where classical music was drifting from within.

"Is he nice to work with?" Rain asked while Casey sorted book request forms.

"Yeah. He's like a second father to me. Reminds me of an old librarian without all the lecturing to be quiet. He actually hates complete silence. Hence the music." Casey said, waving over her shoulder in reference to the classical music still audible. Soon after she said that a different classical song came onto the store-wide speakers. Rain raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Adds atmosphere, he says." Casey explained "It's broadcast from satellite radio. Sometimes he switches it to classic rock, depends on his mood."

"Neat." Rain said. "Is it always this slow?" Rain looked around at the tidy store.

"In the mornings it is, and certain weekdays. This is a pretty small store. And the mall across town has two international-chain bookstores. Some people like this place because it is closer to the schools and the base." Casey said with a shrug, placing the book requests in the plastic holder on the counter.

"Mr. Littleton should be done with a box of books soon. Then we can stock while he writes other ones off," Casey said. "Until then, pick something to read." Casey lifted a paperback book from underneath the counter and cracked it open to where she had a paper clip marking her place. Rain noticed the title: 'All Quiet on the Western Front.' It was one of Rain's favorite novels that she had been required to read her last year of junior high school. The Yuy teen recalled that the novel was based on the First World War. Her English teacher had wanted the students to learn about the earliest wars that shaped their present lives. According to her pacifist teacher, it was more beneficial to realize how wars began than to study the most recent battles such as the Eve Wars of A.C. 195 and 196.

"Just pick one?" Rain asked, shaking out of her thoughts.

"Yeah. Go pick one out and Mr. Littleton will write it off later. Or you can donate it to the used section." Casey said without looking up from Gatsby. She blindly grabbed a paper coffee cup from under the counter and took a sip.

"All right." Rain said as she slid down from her stool and walked around the counter to search for her own entertaining novel.

-xx-

June 22nd, A.C. 217:

"Excuse me."

Both Rain and Casey looked up from their respective books. In front of the counter was a Eurasian boy who looked to be around Derek's age.

"Hey Kenny." Casey smiled at the boy.

"Hey Cay." The boy said in return.

"Ayumi, this is Kento. Kento, this is my new co-worker, Ooue, Ayumi." Casey made introductions.

"Ooue Ayumi? Nihongo ga hanashimasu ka?" Kento asked.

"Eh? Hai… hanashimasu…" Rain replied, holding the book halfway up and raising an eyebrow.

"Casey didn't tell me you were Japanese." Kento said, smiling in a way Rain could not really read.

"Ah, Mr. Oshika. Decided to apply for a job yet?" Mr. Littleton said, appearing from the storage room.

"Not yet sir," Kento said with a light laugh.

"Kento lives here." Casey explained.

"I like to read. Not every guy devotes all of their spare time to watching sports on TV and other brain-depleting activities." Kento said with a smirk.

"Yes, Mr. Oshika, you have a great deal of intellect. And you spend a great deal of time here. Why don't you just work here?" Mr. Littleton said, pushing his glasses up on his forehead.

"That would take all the fun out of it." Kento said, sharing a smile with Mr. Littleton and Casey. Rain felt a bit left out. She had been working at OVB for over a week. Yet, it was already apparent how close Mr. Littleton was to both Casey and Kento.

Rain had asked Casey about it the previous day. The other girl had explained that Mr. Littleton's has passed away three years earlier and his son was attending a university on the East Coast. Therefore, Mr. Littleton had taken to treating Casey as his own child. Rain thought it was sweet in a way, even if it did make her heart ache for her own family that was far away.

"What time do you get off today Cay?" Kento asked, changing the subject.

"Not sure…" She glanced at Mr. Littleton.

"It has been relatively slow today. And, it is already 7:30. You two ladies may leave whenever you wish." Mr. Littleton said.

"You sure?" Casey asked.

"Absolutely. But, if you wish to come in earlier tomorrow to set up, so be it." Mr. Littleton said off-handedly.

"Of course." Casey smiled. "Thanks Mr. L." Casey said, standing from her stool and walking to the stock room to grab her jacket.

"Where are you off to tonight Mr. Oshika?" Mr. Littleton asked.

"Dinner. Maybe some pizza." Kento shrugged. "Then there's a really good movie that just came out. I really want to get Cay to watch it."

"Ah. And what is the movie about?"

"It's a remake of a musical. 'The Phantom of the Opera'. It's supposed to be really cool." Kento said with a grin.

"Ah. I heard about that one. Perhaps I will go see it next Thursday." Mr. Littleton said. Thursday was the only day the shop was closed. Mr. Littleton only required Casey and Rain to come in long enough to put the new shipments in the stock room. After that, they would all enjoy their day off.

"You should." Kento agreed.

"Ready?" Casey interrupted, appearing from the stock room.

"Yeah." Kento replied.

"Are you sure you don't need us any longer?" Casey asked.

"Positive Britt. Go enjoy your dinner and movie." Mr. Littleton said.

"Do you want to come with us Ayumi?" Casey offered.

"No thanks. I think I will stay and help Mr. Littleton." Rain replied.

"Are you sure?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me." Rain assured her. Casey shrugged and exited with her friend Kento.

"See you tomorrow then. Bye Mr. L." Casey called from the doorway.

"Goodnight Ms. Britt, Mr. Oshika."

Rain settled back onto her stool and flipped the pages of her book absentmindedly.

"Are you sure you want to stay?" Mr. Littleton asked, sitting on the stool Casey had vacated.

"Yeah."

"Is everything all right Ms. Ooue?" Mr. Littleton asked, pulling his glasses back down before his eyes.

"I just don't feel comfortable going with them. I would be a third wheel." Rain replied.

"Is that all? I have noticed you have turned Ms. Britt down several times when she has invited you to go home with her or meet with her friends." Mr. Littleton said.

"I…don't want to get too attached to people here," Rain admitted. "I had really close friends in my old city. I fear that if I spend time with Casey and her friends, I will only miss them all the more."

"I see…" Mr. Littleton said.

"You think I am wrong…?" Rain asked.

"Well, yes and no. Everyone is different. For me, when I miss my family, I find it easier spending time around Britt. I admit I get very close to some of my employees. I was very sad when Bonner left for Seattle." Mr. Littleton said with a sigh.

Rain considered his words. Perhaps it would be easier to forget her home if she made better efforts to make Bremerton her home. On the contrary, Rain knew that some day, she would have to leave all over again. The Yuy teen did not think she could stand making and losing friends a second time. And, all the same, Rain felt lonely. She had been friendless for years-until she met up with Chelsea at lunch one day. Since that time, Rain had never been alone for more than a few days.

"Perhaps next time you should join them. If you are too uncomfortable, you can always ask to go home you know." Mr. Littleton said.

"Yes, you're right. Thank you." Rain replied, laying her head on one hand and balancing her arm on the counter top. She was growing rather attached to Mr. Littleton. He was exactly what Casey had said, a kind, fatherly-type. Rain considered herself fortunate for finding such a friendly working environment. She had figured the only job available to her would be in quick food service.

Also fortunate, was how fast time was passing. Even though Rain missed her friends and family terribly, she was finding it easier to fall asleep at night. Her loved ones did not haunt her dreams as much. Rain planned to send her brother another e-mail at the end of the month. It was hard not being able to hear back from him, she knew, but it was even more difficult knowing they were worrying about her back home.

-xx-

July 14th, A.C. 217:

"Kon ban wa."

Rain looked up from the book she was reading about a teenaged mediator for the dead, struggling to fit in with her fellow high school students. Standing before her was Kento, Casey's Eurasian friend. It had been over a month since she had been hired at Green Mountain Books. Mr. Littleton, after deeming Rain fully responsible, allowed her to work on her own on certain days of the week that Casey had summer classes or appointments.

"Hi, Casey's not here. She had an extended lunch break for a dentist appointment." Rain said politely, setting down her book. "She should be back any minute."

"Oh. I'll wait then. Thank you." The boy said, smiling the same smile Rain could never read, bowing slightly, and backing away a step.

"O genki desu ka?"

"Yes. I'm fine. You?" Rain said in return.

"Genki desu. Why don't you ever speak in Japanese? Cay says you're bilingual at least." Kento said, folding his arms over his chest and looking Rain over.

"Why don't you ever talk to Casey in Japanese?" Rain said in return.

"Touché. I try to escape my Japanese half. What's your excuse?" Kento asked.

"If you are trying to escape your Japanese side, why would you talk to me in Japanese?" Rain replied, avoiding his question again.

"Well, because you're Japanese."

"That's a sorry excuse." Rain shook her head and frowned.

"Perhaps I should reword it. I mean that, in my family, you grow up hearing, 'be polite to the Japanese girls! You're going to marry one of them someday!' And what could conceivably be more formal than Japanese?" Kento said, smiling.

Rain laughed. She finally understood his smile. It was the smile one has when there is an unspoken joke, a shared secret.

"Your family really pushed in the polite etiquette, ne?" Rain smiled, remembering a story her father had related to her about living in Japan after the last Eve Wars.

"Oh yes, pushed and pushed. Some of it stuck though. I fit the stereotype of being the Asian Nerd." Kento chuckled at the thought. "But at least I can hide my geeky prowess."

"Geeky prowess?" Rain quirked an eyebrow dubiously.

"Of course. Never underestimate the powers of the Geek. Especially the good-looking ones."

"Iie. Baka ne." Rain said, without thinking, picking up her book again.

"So now you're going to ignore me. That hurts." Kento said, reading the back cover of her book.

"Yes. Your flirtatious attempts are pathetic at best and I would rather not dignify them with an equally dismal response." Rain quipped.

"Damn. Smart and cute." Kento's self-satisfied smirk only deepened.

Rain rolled her eyes.

"Well, if you are so intelligent, why do you read such trashy stuff?" Kento asked, pulling her book down to skim-read her current page.

Snatching the book away, Rain scowled at the older boy. "It's not trash. It correctly demonstrates the ever-present struggle to fit in with one's peers at an adolescent age."

"And ghosts?" Kento asked, barely concealing his smile.

"The idea is rather questionable, but it adds an amusing twist to the storyline." Rain remarked.

"Fine, I stand corrected." Kento leaned back on his heels, trying to break Rain's malicious stare.

"Oh, come on Ooue, don't tell me you completely despise me already. We barely know eachother." Kento said, seemingly genuinely friendly.

"And yet, you find any means necessary to express your overwhelming knowledge of my person." Rain grumbled.

"Well, I apologize for misjudging you. I promise I will make no further assumptions from this moment forth." Kento placed his palms together and bowed to Rain.

Considering his words, Rain found herself in a strange predicament. She did not want to argue with the boy, he just sparked an annoyance in her that few had ever provoked. Also, Casey and Mr. Littleton seemed to think very highly of the guy. And Rain thought very highly of them. After a lingering silence Rain finally spoke.

"I accept your apology and offer my own. I did not intend to act so disgruntled." Rain said, setting her book down on the counter and meeting Kento's gaze.

"May we consider a truce then?"

"Fair enough." Rain nodded and forced a small smile.

"Great. Now, how do I get in your good graces? Compliments don't seem to work and as much as I enjoy a good battle of wit, it can get tiresome." Kento said, leaning against the wall beside the counter.

"Don't try so hard." Rain shrugged.

"In what way?" Kento prompted.

"I mean…" Rain trailed off, recalling the way that Derek had been able to make her heart leap simply by smiling at her. The thought made a rock-like feeling sink into her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Kento stood up straighter, looking positively concerned.

"Just memories is all." Rain replied, pushing the thought of Derek to the back of her mind and attempting to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat.

"You want to reminisce?" Kento asked, running a hand absent-mindedly through his dark locks.

"No. Thank you. Just stuff about my family is all." Rain lied easily.

"Oh. Cay mentioned the accident…I'm very sorry for your loss." Kento said, frowning.

"So am I." Rain replied. "But I'd rather talk about something else if you don't mind."

"Sure…" Kento said, leaning against the wall again.

"How was the movie last night?" Rain inquired.

"It was amazing. You really should have gone with Cay and I last night. It was very dark and dramatic. The main character forced herself into selective amnesia to repress the memory of her dead boyfriend. In her mind the guy was a jerk who just up and left her life one day. In reality though, he had been murdered the night he was supposed to visit her. The girl could not deal with the survivor's guilt and did everything in her power to repress the memory of his death." Kento summarized.

"Sounds depressing." Rain mused.

"Well, it was rather emotional, but well worth the angst. You should try to see it before they pull it on Friday."

"Maybe. I don't think I want to see a movie really late at night and I am closing the rest of the week." Rain said. She had wanted very badly to see that particular film, yet was still wary of spending social time outside of work with Casey and Kento.

"Understandable." Kento shrugged.

Over his shoulder, Rain spotted Casey making her way towards the shop's glass doors. She gave a silent sigh of relief that she would no longer have to force conversation with Kento.

"Cay. How was the dentist?" Kento greeted as Casey walked in the door.

"Fine. No cavities, thank God." Casey replied. "Hey Ayumi."

"Hi." Rain smiled in greeting.

"Kento giving you hell again?" Casey strolled behind the counter and sat on the stool beside Rain.

"Not really." Rain admitted.

"Wow. And here I thought I would have to mop up pools of drool and blood after her spent all this time ogling you and you punched him for it." Casey grinned.

"Cay…" Kento shook his head laughing.

"What? Even Ayumi knows you want her. I'm just stating the obvious is all." Casey pulled a clipboard from under the counter and began flipping through invoices that needed filing.

"Wow, thanks." Kento said, he grinned at Rain in spite of his friend's remarks.

"She's a good friend." Rain said, surprised to find herself smiling back at him.

"That she is." They continued to stare at each other for an awkwardly long moment before Casey noticed and broke the silence.

"So, are you coming to the concert tonight?" Casey asked, turning her full attention to Rain.

"Concert?" Rain asked, confusion evident on her features.

"Yeah, there's a battle of the bands going on at the fairgrounds tonight. Kento was supposed to convince you to come." Casey said, turning to Kento and raising her eyebrows at him.

"I knew there was something I was forgetting when I got here." Kento smiled sheepishly.

"Well, regardless of Kento's easily distracted nature," Casey smirked. "You have to come tonight. We just won't take no for an answer."

"I have things to do." Rain said immediately.

"Well, you can do it tomorrow." Casey said with a shrug.

"But I have to work open to close tomorrow." Rain replied honestly that time.

"No, I already talked to Littleton. He said that you and I could come in late tomorrow and recuperate."

"But, that seems unfair to him doesn't it?" Rain asked.

"Nah, he loves helping us out." Casey said.

"Please come." Kento interjected.

"I…Oh fine." Rain sighed. It had become increasingly difficult to find worthy excuses to blow off Casey and Kento every day.

"Yay! It will be fun, I promise. We're not too horrible to spend time with." Casey gave Rain a quick hug.

The Yuy teen shook her head. She could picture the problems that would arise from coming out of her social recluse. Things would have been so much easier for her if she were able to have reciprocated contact with her friends and family back in LA. That painful truth in mind, Rain gritted her teeth and hoped the night would turn out well enough.

-End of Chapter 1-

Author's Notes:

My apologies to all my fans for keeping you in such long-drawn out suspense! I tried to update this story amid the madness of moving to and from the dorms my Freshman year of college. I got about halfway through this chapter before my muse left me for research assignments and my brain went numb from two part time jobs and a steady course load.

I will try my best to work on this little novella over winter break and the Spring semester. My muse has decided to return from vacation and give me new things to work into the plot line.

To make this short and sweet, I am sorry once again for the excruciatingly long delay and I will do my best to prevent it from happening again. Enjoy. Please review!

-AlyRain 


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